Smoking article having flavor solution releasably housed in a plastic container

ABSTRACT

A smoking article includes a flexible casing which is liquid-tight and tubular, a mouth portion formed at one end of the casing, a cylindrical plastic container which can be elastically deformed and is arranged within the casing, a flavour solution housed in the plastic container and having a viscosity of 520 cP or less, a thin wall portion formed at one end wall of the plastic container, the thin wall portion being broken when the plastic container is elastically deformed upon receipt of force applied from outside the casing so as to permit release of the flavour solution, and a water absorbing layer formed adjacent to the end wall having the thin wall portion formed therein so as to hold the flavour solution released from the plastic container. Various kinds of flavour solutions can be used in the smoking article. The amount of the volatile aromatic components can be controlled easily. Further, it is possible to suppress the loss of the aromatic component during preservation of the smoking article.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to a smoking article used for inhaling andtasting volatile components of a flavour.

BACKGROUND ART

Known is a cylindrical instrument housing a flavour in its axial bore.This instrument comprises a cylindrical body housing the flavour. Thevolatile components of the flavour are sucked through a mouth portionformed at one end of the cylindrical body. The flavour is solid, whichis granular or in the form of chips or tablets shaped from a powderymaterial. The solid flavour is directly held within the axial bore ofthe cylindrical body.

In the conventional instrument described above, the kinds of the solidflavours having a volatility sufficient for the sucking are very muchrestricted. Also, since the flavour is solid, it is difficult to controlthe amount of the volatile aromatic components of the flavour. Further,since the flavour is exposed directly to the atmosphere within the axialbore of the instrument, the aromatic components are evaporated ordenatured during preservation, making it difficult to preserve theinstrument over a long period of time.

It may be possible to use a flavour solution supported by a suitablecarrier in place of the solid flavour. In this case, it is possible tohouse various kinds of flavours in the axial bore of the cylindricalbody. It is also possible to control the amount of the aromaticcomponents evaporated from the flavour. However, a solution is morevolatile in general than a solid, making it more difficult to preservethe instrument housing a flavour solution over a long period of time. Inaddition the solution tends to ooze out of the cylindrical body.

DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is intended to provide a smoking article whichpermits using various kinds of flavours, easily controlling the amountof the volatile fragrant components, and suppressing the loss of theflavour during preservation.

According to the present invention, there is provided a smoking article,comprising a flexible casing which is liquid-tight and tubular, a mouthportion formed at one end of the casing, a cylindrical plastic containerwhich can be elastically deformed and is arranged within the casing, aflavour solution housed in the plastic container and having a viscosityof 520 cP or less, a thin wall portion formed at one end wall of theplastic container, the thin wall portion being broken when the plasticcontainer is elastically deformed upon receipt of force applied fromoutside the casing so as to permit release of the flavour solution, anda water absorbing layer formed adjacent to the end wall having said thinwall portion formed therein so as to hold the flavour solution releasedfrom the plastic container.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is an oblique view, partly broken away, showing a smoking articleaccording to one embodiment, of the present invention;

FIGS. 2A to 2C collectively illustrate a plastic container included inthe smoking article shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an oblique view, partly broken away, showing a smoking articleaccording to another embodiment of the present invention; and

FIG. 4 shows how the smoking article shown in FIG. 3 is used.

BEST MODE FOR EMBODYING THE INVENTION

The term "smoking article" used herein is irrelevant to tobacco anddenotes an article used for inhaling and tasting a volatile aromaticcomponent evaporated or an aerosol of aromatic components formed fromflavour or the like.

In the smoking article of the present invention, a flavour solution ishoused in a plastic container included in the smoking article. Theflavour solution can be prepared by adding water to a flavourcomposition. It is possible to use various kinds of water-solubleflavour compositions including, for example, compositions of tobaccotype, menthol type, vanilla type, liquor type, honey type, chocolatetype, dry fruit type, cinnamon type, fruit type, and maple type. Theconcentration of the flavour solution is related to the intensity of thetaste and aroma which is inhaled and tasted. In other words, theintensity of the taste and aroma can be controlled by changing theconcentration of the flavour solution. Also, the flavour solution shouldhave a low viscosity such that the solution can be released from theplastic container arranged within the smoking article. To be morespecific, the viscosity should be at most 520 cP and should be as low aspossible.

The flavour solution released from the plastic container is absorbed andheld by the water absorbing layer. In the present invention, an unwovenfabric prepared by mixing a water absorbing fiber with another suitablefiber can be used for forming the water absorbing layer. If a heatfusible composite fiber is mixed with the water absorbing fiber, theunwoven fabric can be prepared without using a binder. The mixing ratioof the water absorbing fiber to the heat fusible composite fiber dependson the flavour solution to be absorbed, the size of the water absorbinglayer or the like. The mixing ratio preferable falls, however, within arange of between 10:90 and 90:10, further preferably between 40:60 and60:40. The unwoven fabric is shaped in the form of, for example, a rodso as to prepare the water absorbing layer. It is possible to use thewater absorbing fiber alone. In this case, however, a large amount ofwater absorbing fiber is required for preparing a water absorbing regionof a reasonable size. As a result, the resistance to air flow isincreased when the water absorbing fiber is swollen by the absorption ofthe flavour solution, making it difficult to inhale the evaporatedaromatic components.

It is desirable to mix another water absorbing material, e.g., shreddedtobacco, with the unwoven fabric. In this case, the unwoven fabric isshredded or cut into small pieces substantially equal in length andwidth to the shredded tobacco. The shredded pieces are mixed with theshredded tobacco, and the resultant mixture is wrapped and rolled likecigarettes so as to prepare the water absorbing layer. In the case ofusing a water absorbing material such as shredded tobacco, is desirableto decrease the amount of the water absorbing fiber relative to the heatfusible composite fiber, compared with the use of the unwoven fabricalone.

In the smoking article of the present invention, it is possible to usevarious kinds of perfume compositions because a flavour composition isused in the form of aqueous solution. Also, the concentration of thearomatic components to be inhaled can be easily controlled by changingthe concentration of the aqueous solution. Further, the quality of theflavour can be maintained until the flavour is tasted because theflavour solution is housed in a plastic container which can be easilyruptured. In addition, the flavour solution can be released to theoutside by a very simple operation.

The flavour solution released from the plastic container is absorbed bythe water absorbing layer disposed adjacent to the container so as to beheld within the water absorbing layer. The particular constructionpermits a flavour solution to be housed in an amount large enough totaste the aromatic components of the flavour composition. In addition,the lips of a person using the smoking article and the fingers holdingthe smoking article are not stained with the flavour solution. Where thewater absorbing layer contains shredded tobacco, aroma of tobacco can beimparted to the aromatic components.

The accompanying drawings show some embodiments of the presentinvention. Specifically, FIG. 1 is an oblique view showing a cigarettetype smoking article according to one embodiment of the presentinvention. As shown in the drawing, the smoking article comprises aback-up filter 1, which is 8 mm long and consists of an acetate fiberhaving a fineness of 3Y/36,000, a plastic container 2, which is 14 mmlong and has an inner volume of 220 μl, a water absorbing layer 3 whichis 8 mm long, a supporting member 4 which is 54 mm long, a casingrolling paper 5, and a chip paper 6 equal in material to the casingrolling paper 5. The water absorbing layer 3 is prepared by shaping inthe form of a rod an unwoven fabric consisting of 50 parts of Rancealand 50 parts of ES fiber. The supporting member 4 is prepared by shapingin the form of a rod an EA fiber having a fineness of 4d/40,000.Further, the casing rolling paper 5 consists of a polyester film havingan aluminum layer formed on each surface by vapor deposition and alsohaving a paper sheet formed on the aluminum layer by means of drylamination.

The term "Ranceal" noted above is a water absorbing fiber manufacturedby Toyobo Ltd. and available on the market. Each of "ES fiber" and "EAfiber" noted above is a heat fusible composite fiber manufactured byChisso Ltd. and available on the market. The ES fiber consists of apolypropylene core having a melting point of 160° C. and a cover layerformed of a high density polyethylene having a melting point of 130° C.On the other hand, the EA fiber consists of a polypropylene core havinga melting point of 160° C. and a cover layer formed of a mixture of alow density polyethylene and ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer (EVA),said mixture having a melting point of 110° C.

As shown in the drawing, the plastic container 2 is cylindrical, and apredetermined amount of a flavour solution is housed in the container 2.Where the smoking article shown in FIG. 1 is sized as describedpreviously, 50 to 200 μl of flavour solution is housed in the container.As described previously, the viscosity of the flavour solution should beat most 520 cP and should desirably be as low as possible.

The back-up filter 1 is arranged as a mouth portion contiguous to oneend of the plastic container 2. An acetate fiber can be used for formingthe filter 1. In addition, it is possible to use a filter generally usedcigarettes such as a pulp fiber and a hydrophobic heat fusible compositefiber for forming the back-up filter 1. Particularly, it is desirable touse an acetate fiber for forming the back-up filter 1.

The water absorbing layer 3 is arranged contiguous to the other end ofthe plastic container 2. The supporting member 4 is arranged contiguousto the other end of the water absorbing layer 3. The filter materialgenerally used in cigarettes can also be used for forming the supportingmember 4. However, it is desirable for the supporting member 4 to beformed of a heat fusible composite fiber in view of the air flowabilityand hardness. The outer surface of the array consisting of the filter 1,the plastic container 2, the water absorbing layer 3 and the supportingmember 4 is wrapped with the casing rolling paper 5 and the chip paper6, with the result that the entire structure forms an integralcylindrical article.

To be more specific, the casing rolling paper 5 and the chip paper 6collectively form a liquid-tight, tubular flexible casing. A smallclearance is formed between the casing and the plastic container 2 suchthat a gaseous material can be sucked through the back-up filter 1. Anymaterial can be used for forming the casing rolling paper 5 as far asthe paper 5 can be made liquid-tight. However, it is desirable to use apolyester film having an aluminum film formed on each surface by vapordeposition and also having a paper sheet formed on the aluminum film bymeans of dry lamination. In the case of an ordinary cigarette, theresistance of the filter to the air flow is 90 to 110 mmH₂ O where thecigarette is not lit, and 130 to 160 mmH₂ O where the cigarette is lit.In the smoking article of the present invention, it is desirable for thefilter 1 to exhibit an air flow resistance nearly equal to that of theordinary cigarette where the cigarette is not lit. It is desirable toset the air flow resistance at a low level in the present inventionbecause a larger amount of gaseous component suction is required forsatisfying the user of the smoking article in comparision with aerosolsuction. More desirably, the air flow resistance should be set at 10 to60 mmH₂ O for the back-up filter 1 and at 200 mmH₂ O or less for theentire smoking article.

The construction of the plastic container 2 is shown in FIGS. 2A to 2C,in which FIG. 2A is a longitudinal cross sectional view, FIG. 2B is alateral cross sectional view, i.e., cross section along line B--B shownin FIG. 2A, and FIG. 2C shows a cross section along line C--C shown inFIG. 2B. As shown in the drawings, the plastic container 1 comprises acylindrical body 21 open at one end and a seal film 22 closingliquid-tight the open end of the cylindrical body 21. Thus, a suitableamount of a flavour solution can be housed in the container 2. Thecylindrical body 21 can be formed of resins which can be elasticallydeformed easily including, for example, thermoplastic resins such aspolyethylene, polyvinyl chloride, and a mixture thereof. Particularly,it is desirable to use a low density ethylene for forming thecylindrical body 21. The seal film 22, which consists of an aluminumfoil laminated or coated with a thermoplastic resin, is thermally fusedto the open end of the cylindrical body 21. It is also possible for theseal film 22 to consist of a thermoplastic resin sheet alone.

The containers described in Published Unexamined Japanese PatentApplication No. 64-37347 can also be used in the present invention asthe plastic container.

A plurality of grooves 23 providing a thin wall portion are formed in awall 21a at the closed end of the cylindrical body 21 of the plasticcontainer. As shown in FIG. 2B, these grooves 23 radially extend outwardfrom a projection 24 formed in the center. FIG. 2C shows that the groove23 is substantially of v-shape in cross section, the walls defining thegroove 23 forming an interfacial angle θ. A flat portion of a width Wextends along the bottom of the groove 23. Naturally, the thickness T ofthe wall 21a in the region below the groove 23 is smaller than thethickness S of the wall 21a in the other region. The presence of thegrooves 23 permits the wall 21a at the closed end of the cylindricalbody 21 to be broken easily when the body 21 is elastically deformedupon receipt of external force. In order to ensure breakage of the wall21a, it is desirable to form the grooves 23 such that: θ=35 to 60°,W=0.2 mm, T=0.06 to 0.15 mm, S= 0.3 to 0.6 mm. More desirably, T shouldbe 0.15 mm and S should be 0.5 mm.

In using the smoking article of the particular construction for tastingthe aromatic components of a flavour, the casing formed by winding thecasing rolling paper 5 and the chip paper 6 is pushed from outside byfingers so as to elastically deform the plastic container 2. As aresult, the wall 21a of the cylindrical body 21 is broken so as torelease the flavour solution from within the plastic container 2. Theflavour solution thus released is absorbed by and held in the waterabsorbing layer 3 arranged continuous to the plastic container 2. Sincearomatic components are evaporated from the released flavour solution,the aromatic components can be sucked through the back-up filter 1 andinhaled by the user so as to taste the aromatic components.

In the smoking article shown in FIG. 1, the water absorbing layer 3 isformed of an unwoven fabric consisting of 50 parts by Ranceal and 50parts of ES fiber, as described previously. Alternatively, shreddedtobacco can be mixed in the water absorbing layer 3. In this case, theunwoven fabric noted above is cut into small pieces, and 10% of the cutpieces is mixed with shredded tobacco which absorbs water. Then, theresultant mixture is shaped into a roll so as to prepare the waterabsorbing layer 3. In the case of using another water absorbing materialsuch as shredded tobacco, it is desirable to lower the mixing ratio of awater absorbing fiber.

FIG. 3 is an oblique view showing a smoking article according to anotherembodiment of the present invention. The smoking article of thisembodiment is of cartridge type, and is put in the holder of a tobaccopipe or the like, as shown in FIG. 4.

The same reference numerals in FIGS. 1, 3 and 4 denote the same membersof the smoking article. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 3, thesupporting member included in the embodiment shown in FIG. 1 is replacedby a filter 1' equal in function to the back-up filter 1 so as toshorten the smoking article and, thus, to vide a cartridge type article.It is possible to prepare the filter 1' by using a materialsubstantially equal to that used for preparing the back-up filter 1. Theembodiment of FIG. 3 is exactly the same in construction, function andproduced effect as the embodiment of FIG. 1, except that the supportingmember 4 in FIG. 1 is replaced by the filter 1' in FIG. 3.

In order to taste the aromatic components of a flavour by using acartridge type smoking article as shown in FIG. 3, the plastic container2 is broken first as in the smoking article shown in FIG. 1. Then, thecartridge type smoking article is put in a tubular holder 10, as shownin FIG. 4. The holder 10 is formed of a flexible resin such as polyvinylchloride resin. The diameter in one end portion of the holder 10 isdiminished so as to form a mouth portion 11. A holder cap 8 having anair hole 9 formed in the center is mounted to the other open end of thetubular holder 10. In general, the aromatic components are suckedthrough the back-up filter 1 contiguous to the plastic container 2.However, it is possible to suck the aromatic components through thefilter 1' contiguous to the water absorbing layer 3, if the user wishesto inhale the aromatic components more strongly.

As apparent from the foregoing description, the fragrance tasted by theuser of the smoking article of the present invention is derived from theflavour solution housed in the plastic container 2. Exemplified in thefollowing are the flavour solutions which are preferably used in thesmoking article of the present invention.

PREPARATION EXAMPLE 1

A tobacco type flavour composition given below was prepared:

    ______________________________________                                                       Parts by weight                                                ______________________________________                                        α-terpineol                                                                               3.0                                                         Ethyl phenyl acetate                                                                            4.0                                                         α-limonene  5.0                                                         β-ionone     8.0                                                         Vanillin         30.0                                                         Menthol          30.0                                                         Furfural         10.0                                                         Benzaldehyde     40.0                                                         β-caryophyllene                                                                           40.0                                                         Barley tobacco flavor                                                                          200.0                                                        Ethyl alcohol    200.0                                                        Propylene glycol 230.0                                                        Water            200.0                                                                         1000.0                                                       ______________________________________                                    

The composition given above was housed in an amount of 50 to 200 μl inthe plastic container of the smoking article as shown in FIG. 1.Produced was a strong impression of typical palatable and smellingflavor inherent in tobacco.

PREPARATION EXAMPLE 2

A menthol type flavour composition given below was prepared:

    ______________________________________                                                      Parts by weight                                                 ______________________________________                                        l-Menthol       300.0                                                         Methyl salicylate                                                                              5.0                                                          Clove oil        5.0                                                          Cinnamic aldehyde                                                                              5.0                                                          Casia oil        10.0                                                         Spearmint oil   100.0                                                         Anise oil        2.0                                                          Thyme oil        3.0                                                          Ethyl alcohol   200.0                                                         Propylene glycol                                                                              170.0                                                         Water           200.0                                                                         1000.0                                                        ______________________________________                                    

The composition given above was housed in an amount of 50 to 200 μl inthe smoking article shown in FIG. 1. Produced was a prominent impressionof typical palatable and smelling flavor reminding the user of thesmoking article of the cool refreshing feel of the menthol and of thespicy taste and aroma.

PREPARATION EXAMPLE 3

A vanilla type perfume composition given below was prepared:

    ______________________________________                                                      Parts by weight                                                 ______________________________________                                        Vanillin        22.0                                                          Ethyl vanillin  5.0                                                           Maltol          0.5                                                           Cinnamon oil    22.0                                                          Fennel oil      2.0                                                           Spearmint oil   20.0                                                          Peppermint oil  1.0                                                           Aldehyde C.sub.16                                                                             6.0                                                           Ethyl butylate  8.0                                                           Ethyl alcohol   413.5                                                         Propylene glycol                                                                              200.0                                                         Water           300.0                                                                         1000.0                                                        ______________________________________                                    

The composition given above was housed in an amount of 50 to 200 μl inthe smoking article shown in FIG. 1. Produced was a prominent impressionof typical palatable and smelling flavor reminding the user of generalvanilla.

As described above, it is possible to use various kinds of flavourcompositions in the smoking article of the present invention. In thepresent invention, the amount of the aromatic components inhaled by theuser of the smoking article can be controlled without difficulty. Inaddition, it is possible to prevent the loss of the flavour compositionduring preservation of the smoking article.

We claim:
 1. A smoking article, comprising a flexible casing which isliquid-tight and tubular, a mouth portion formed at an end of saidcasing, a cylindrical plastic container which can be elasticallydeformed and is arranged within said casing, a flavour solution housedin said plastic container and having a viscosity of 520 cP or less, athin wall portion formed at one end wall of said plastic container, saidthin wall portion being broken when said plastic container iselastically deformed upon receipt of force applied from outside saidcasing so as to permit release of said flavour solution, and a waterabsorbing layer formed adjacent to said end wall having said thin wallportion formed therein so as to hold the flavour solution released fromthe plastic container, said water absorbing layer being formed of anunwoven fabric shaped from a mixture consisting of a water absorbingfiber and a heat fusible composite fiber.
 2. The smoking articleaccording to claim 1, wherein said water absorbing layer furthercontains shredded tobacco.
 3. The smoking article according to claim 1,wherein the resistance to air flow throughout the entire smoking articleis 200 mmH₂ O or less.